We flew from Boston to Turin with a stop in Paris. When we were over the English Channel we happened to pass directly over the island of St. Helier which I took as a good omen. Upon arrival in Turin we jumped on the bus to the Porto Nuevo, the train station where our hotel the Starhotel Majestic was conveniently located diagonally across the street.
Between 5:30 and 8 many bars in Turin serve a vast array of free appetizers as long as one continues to drink. We walked around Piaza San Marco and took in some great people-watching. That evening we dined at Ristorante Perbacca and had a Pronotto Barbaresco 2000 which was nice and inexpensive, but not quite amazing.
Day 2 we had breakfast croissants and bicerin, a combination of coffee, hot chocolate and cream invented in Turin. We then went to the Museo Egezio, the Egyptology museum second best only to the one in Cairo. After lunch we visited the Mole Antonelliana, the town in the center of town which was for a while the tallest brick structure in the world. It was originally supposed to be a synagogue but after working on it for 26 years it became a 19th century skyscraper. That evening we dined at Duo Mondi and had a 1999 Fontanafreddo Barolo which was very good.
Day 3 we met with a friend of a friend who lives in Turin and works for Pinin Farina. She took us to view the Royal Palace and walk around the affluent shopping neighborhood with porticos so one doesn't get wet no matter the weather. For lunch we dined at Taverna dell' Oca and had a delicious bottle of Roero Arnaise and a selection of local cured meats. She then took us for a drive to the Sacra Di Saint Michele, a monastery in the hills outside Turin where the views of the alps and alpine villages were stunning. That evening we dined at Couti Di Saluzzo as the owners are friends of our hosts. Between the four of us we had two bottles of Proddutori de Barbaresco Pora 1999 for just 35 Euros each, a steal in my judgment.
Day 4 we took the bus back to the airport to rent a car for the drive to Alba. We stayed at the Hotel Savona, Pavarotti's favorite in Alba. It is located near the heart of the city center, crawling distance from most of the great restaurants in town. The only downside is the rooms were small and the beds and pillows quite hard.
That night we dined at La Liebra, the best meal of our trip. We started with Contechino lesso, a mild pork sausage over porcini mushrooms with a fontina sauce and were blown away by it. We also has a ravioline alla "Nino Bergese" with shaved white truffles on top. As I cut into the ravioline an egg yoke burst open with the deepest orange color I had ever seen. We drank a bottle of Bruno Giacosa Barbaresco 1998 which was one of the very finest wines I've ever had. It seemed inexpensive at 60 Euros, about $80. The pannacotta desert seemed to defy gravity and was also the best we'd ever had.
Day 5 we walked all around Alba and picked up a bottle of Rinaldi for only
32.5 Euros. We found the Vin Cafe where many wines were available by the glass. We visited the farmers market where the produce was of exceptional quality. We dined that night at Enoclub, an underground restaurant in an old wine cellar. There we had Uova in Cocotte al Tartufo Bianco for the first time, eggs in cream and cheese with shaved white truffles and it was divine. We had a bottle of Proddutori del Barbaresco Ovello 2000.Day 6 we checked out of hotel Savona and into Hotel Langhe, a newish place just a mile outside Alba center. We then drove to Barbaresco up winding roads through vineyards with castles and ancient towns dotting the landscape. We had lunch at a cafe in the middle of Barbaresco next door to Gaja. We dined outdoors on a beautiful sunny day. We then met with Aldo Vacca, the managing director of Proddutori del Barbaresco. He gave us a private tour of the facilities and insisted we try all the single vineyard reservas, the oldest on premises being a 2000. We looked into having wine shipped back to us but discovered the cost would be $150.case, making it virtually the same as what I can find online.
That evening we dined at Trattoria Della Poste just outside Montforte de Alba. The restaurant had formerly been in the town of Montforte de Alba bit move several years ago to a grand house two kilometers away. I had the big tasting menu including foie gras and by the end was nearly in a food coma. My wife had to drive back to the hotel, one of only two times in my life that has ever happened. We drank Prunotto Bussia Barolo 1997 which we both enjoyed immensely. It was extremely full-bodied, great with food but a bit too chewy without.
Day 7 we realized the waitress in our hotel is the same one who took our lunch order in Barbaresco. For a moment it felt like god was running out of extras in the movie of our lives. We drove around the Langhe hills visiting castles and medieval towns. We dined at Osteria del Arco which is next door to the offices of the Slow Food people. I had the Agnolotti del "plin", the tiniest most delicate raviolis with sage butter. We again had the amazing coddled egg with truffle shavings, and rabbit and braised goose leg. Our wine was a Pio Cesare Orveto 1998 and it was delicious with the game.
Day 8 we bought a bottle of Gaja Barbaresco 2001 from Grandi Vina in Alba. We ended up in Barolo toured the castle and enotecca beneath it, and saw the wine opener museum. We visited the winery of the late Bartolo Mascarelli and met with his daughter and widow. It so happened to be the day of the release of the 2001 Barolo Reserva and we bought a magnum. We saw cases being prepared for shipping to Robert Chadderton of New York City, a mysterious importer in Rockefeller Plaza.
That night we had the second best dinner of our trip at Locada del Borgo Antico just outside Barolo. It is a relatively new building on the grounds of a vineyard and the interior looked like it wanted to be in a magazine. Most restaurants in the Piedmont don't open before 8 PM, and at two minutes before 8 the place had lights off and the door locked, yet still opened in time. That was our last night in Piedmont so we splurged and had a 1995 Borgogno Barolo which was magnificent, ripe and full.
We're still reeling at how beautiful Piedmont was and how good a time we had. I've been preparing Piedmontese dishes since our return as vehicles to put truffle shavings over. We're dining at a Piedmontese restaurant near Boston tonight to relay to the co-owner/wine expert about our experiences. If anyone is planning to go to Piedmont I'd be happy to offer whatever advice I can.